UNESCO Heritage

World Heritage is one of the main international instruments for the protection of cultural and natural heritage of Outstanding Universal Value. Established by UNESCO through the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, the system recognises and protects places whose significance transcends national boundaries and belongs to all humanity. Intangible cultural heritage, recognised through the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, includes traditions, expressions, knowledge and practices transmitted over time. The Royal Palace at Caserta has been part of this global network since 1997.

Tangible and Intangible Heritage

UNESCO protects two major forms of heritage. Tangible heritage includes the properties inscribed on the World Heritage List: monuments, historic centres, cultural landscapes, natural sites and physical places of Outstanding Universal Value. Intangible cultural heritage, on the other hand, concerns practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills transmitted from generation to generation: oral traditions, performing arts, rituals, traditional craftsmanship and festive events. Today, the World Heritage List includes 1,248 properties, while UNESCO’s Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices include 849 elements. The World Heritage Convention has 196 States Parties, with 170 States Parties having properties inscribed on the List.

The 1972 Convention

Adopted in Paris in 1972 and entering into force in 1975, the Convention is the main international agreement for the protection of cultural and natural heritage of Outstanding Universal Value. It established a global system of protection based on conservation, cooperation and shared responsibility, recognising cultural and natural heritage as part of the common heritage of humankind. The Convention introduced an innovative concept for its time: certain places, because of their historical, artistic or environmental importance, do not belong only to the country in which they are located, but to humanity as a whole. Their protection therefore becomes a shared responsibility at the global level. The States Parties to the Convention commit to identifying and protecting the heritage located within their territory, conserving it and transmitting it to future generations, and cooperating with other countries to ensure its protection. One of the main tools introduced by the Convention is the World Heritage List, which includes properties recognised for their Outstanding Universal Value. Alongside it is the List of World Heritage in Danger, which includes properties threatened by armed conflict, natural disasters or deterioration. The Convention also provides for forms of international cooperation, including technical and financial assistance to countries in need, through the World Heritage Fund.

Outstanding Universal Value

Every inscribed property possesses an Outstanding Universal Value — or OUV: a cultural and/or natural significance so exceptional that it transcends national boundaries and is of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity. To be recognised, a property must meet at least one of the ten selection criteria, satisfy the relevant conditions of integrity and authenticity, and have adequate protection and management systems in place.

UNESCO Criteria

Cultural criteria

1. To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius.
2. To exhibit an important interchange of human values.
3. To bear unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.
4. To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble, or landscape illustrating significant stages in human history.
5. To be an outstanding example of traditional human settlement, land-use or sea-use.
6. To be directly associated with events, living traditions, ideas, beliefs, or artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.

Natural criteria

7. To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty.
8. To represent major stages of Earth’s history.
9. To represent significant ongoing ecological and biological processes.
10. To contain important natural habitats for the conservation of biodiversity.

The Committee and the Advisory Bodies

The World Heritage Committee — made up of representatives from 21 States Parties elected on a rotating basis — meets every year to decide on new inscriptions and to monitor the state of conservation of World Heritage properties. The Secretariat is provided by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, based in Paris. Three Advisory Bodies support the work of the Committee: ICOMOS for cultural properties, IUCN for natural properties, and ICCROM for conservation training and restoration.

Italy: the Country with the Highest Number of World Heritage Properties

Italy is the country with the highest number of World Heritage properties: 61, ahead of China, Germany, France and Spain. Italy ratified the Convention in 1978 and obtained its first inscription in 1979 with the Rock Drawings in Valcamonica. Among the most recent inscriptions are Via Appia. Regina Viarum in 2024 and Funerary Tradition in the Prehistory of Sardinia – The domus de janas in 2025.

UNESCO Resources and Networks

UNESCO provides financial, technical and training resources to support the protection of cultural and natural heritage around the world. Through the World Heritage Fund, it finances conservation and emergency interventions. It also relies on international networks such as ICOMOS, IUCN and ICCROM for evaluation, research and training. In addition, UNESCO coordinates global programmes such as Biosphere Reserves, UNESCO Global Geoparks and the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Together, these tools create a global cooperation network to protect, preserve and promote heritage.